Titaniferous biotite lubricant



United States Patent 3,528,915 TITANIFEROUS BIOTITE LUBRICANT Warren L.Taylor, Littleton, Colo., assignor to Titan Products Company, Englewood,Colo., a corporation of Colorado No Drawing. Filed Feb. 28, 1969, Ser.No. 803,414 Int. Cl. C10m /02 U.S. Cl. 25228 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Titaniferous biotite ore is ground and classified to removecoarser particles containing materials deleterious to lubricatingcomposition use, the remaining fines providing a useful, novel additivein the manufacture of lubricating compositions.

This invention relates to lubricating compositions, additives therefor,and methods of making the same.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and economicalmethod for preparing an effective, low-cost, solid, particulatelubricating composition additive from raw titaniferous biotite ore, arelatively rare biotite ore which is unusually rich in titanium andaluminum, and to provide such an additive and composition.

The invention features converting titaniferous biotite ore, having atotal silicon, potassium and magnesium content of at least 50% byweight, a total sodium, iron and phosphorous content of at least butless than 50% by Weight, a total manganese, aluminum, strontium,titanium, copper and calcium content of at least 1% but less than 10% byweight, and less than a total 1% by weight of trace elements includingnickel, to a lubricating composition additive by grinding the ore andclassifying it to retain as said additive selected ranges ofpredetermined small size depending on the use to be made of theparticulate ore composition or of the overall lubricating mixture. Ingeneral, the particulate ore composition of the present invention may beused in sizes and amounts comparable to those in which other solidlubricating compo sitions, such as molybdenum disulfide, are used;preferred particle sizes range from about 0.25 to 400 microns, andpreferred amounts range from 0.1 to 70% by total weight of lubricatingcomposition. Among the additive uses for which the particulate orecomposition of the present invention is particularly effective are: gearand bearing greases (especially, oscillating bearing lubrication),dryfiLm lubrication, for incorporation into plastic parts which requirelubrication, and wherever high temperature greases are required; alone,the composition may be used, e.g., as a sealed lubricant for sealedbearings.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the followingdescription.

EXAMPLE Titaniferous biotite ore was broken up in a hammermill intochunks of about one-quarter inch size convenient for introduction in thefeeding auger of a pulverizer-crusher of the type sold by The BauerBros., (30., Springfield, Ohio, under the name Hurricane. One hundredpounds were thus fed, the Hurricane being operated 3,528,915 PatentedSept. 15, 1970 at a rate of 1110 pounds per hour, at 3080 r.p.m., andwith an outlet air temperature of 140 F., for a bit more than fiveminutes. Stack manometer was 3 /2 inches of water vacuum. Of the 100pounds, 32 pounds were rejected as too coarse, and 68 pounds (includingeight pounds from the bag house) of fairly finely ground materialrecovered.

A fifteen pound lot from the sixty-eight pounds was then fed to aclassifier of the type sold by The Bauer Bros. Co. under the nameCentri-Sonic, the latter being operated at 3000 rpm. and with its feedervariable drive at 24.0 r.p.m. Feeder spark ration was 18:72, and louverangle 38. The deck selector was at 6 open, the reject air outlet openfull, the fan rpm. at 3600, the stack manometer at inches of watervacuum, and the air inlet gates at 2 /2. Accepts from the Centri-Soniccyclone were 37.4% by weight, and more than 98% of them were through a325 screen. Only .076% of the particles failed to pass through a SieveNo. 200 screen, of which only 008% failed to pass a No. 100 screen. Fromthe bag house was recovered 11.3% by weight, of particle size even finerthan the accepts. The total of 48.7% was found to be of high lubricatingquality, being substantially free of such materials present in the orefeed and tending to impair lubricating quality as silicon dioxide andmagnetite, removed in grinding and classifying. The particulate materialjust described, although not expanded or exfoliated, is a highly usefuladditive, as to greases, in the manufacture of lubricating compositions.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are withinthe following claim.

What is claimed is:

1. A lubricating additive consisting essentially of finely dividedtitaniferous biotite substantially free of silicon dioxide, iron oxide,and particles of other materials having properties deleterious tolubricating quality and having a particle size such that substantiallyall thereof can pass through a 325 screen, said additive having beenproduced by the process which comprises the steps of grindingtitaniferous biotite ore and classifying the ground material to remove acoarser fraction including most of the particles containing materialsdetrimental to lubricating quality, wherein less than half of the weightof the original ore ends up as the lubricating additive. 45

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DANIEL E. WYMAN, Primary ExaminerI. VAUGHN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

